The Weight of Being Everything

The neon sign of the street-side pocha flickered, reflecting in a puddle of rain. Inside, Ji-won sat slumped over a plastic table, her third glass of soju looking back at her. Her life felt like a tangled web of obligations. At work, she was the unofficial organizer for every project, the one who had to fix everyone’s mistakes. At home, she was trying to send off her younger brother to college while caring for her elderly people, her aging parents who seemed to need more help every day.

She felt like she was failing at being a well-rounded person. Between the uncertainty of her company's restructuring and the emotional chaos of her daughter hitting puberty, Ji-won felt completely overwhelmed.

"Drinking alone? That's a bit much, even for you," a voice teased. It was Min-hee, her oldest friend. Min-hee sat down and poured herself a drink.

"I’ve got a lot on my shoulders, Min-hee," Ji-won sighed. "I’m under a lot of pressure to be perfect at work and the perfect daughter at home. It’s way too much."

Min-hee nodded, sliding a piece of spicy chicken feet toward her friend. "I hear you. I’m under a lot of pressure at my firm too. Last week, I felt pressured to work until midnight every day. You know how it goes."

"Yeah... I guess that’s just how it goes for us these days," Ji-won replied, feeling a small weight lift just by saying it out loud.

"Tell me about it! We put so much pressure on ourselves," Min-hee said, clinking her glass against Ji-won’s. "But look, you're doing great. Don't be so hard on your body and your mind."

They sat there for an hour, commiserating over cold air and warm soup. It didn't solve the uncertainty of tomorrow, but it made the present moment feel a lot lighter. As they left, Ji-won realized that sharing the burden didn't make it disappear, but it certainly made it easier to carry.